


You Are My Strength

by alanna_the_lionheart



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Caring, Coda, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Episode Tag, F/M, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Hope, Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, Love, OTA, One Shot, Pain, Psychological Torture, Romance, Season/Series 05, Short One Shot, Speculation, Torture, olicity - Freeform, spec fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-19
Updated: 2017-03-19
Packaged: 2018-10-07 13:24:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10361430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alanna_the_lionheart/pseuds/alanna_the_lionheart
Summary: As Prometheus tortures him, Oliver holds on tight to hope. His team, his friends, his family…they are his strength, and they will find him. He trusts them; he trusts all of them. But more than anything, he trusts her.Felicity.He knows she will find him, and in the end, she does…....But at what cost?Based on the promo for 5x17 (no spoilers beyond what the promo shows).





	

**Author's Note:**

> Contains aspects of speculation concerning Prometheus, Felicity and Helix, 5x20, and the season finale.
> 
> When I started writing this, all I wanted was a small story about how Felicity would hug Oliver when they rescued him in 5x17. I ended up with all of this instead. I love when plot bunnies run wild.

**You Are My Strength**

 

Oliver doesn’t know how long he spends in that prison cell.

 

He doesn’t know how long he kneels with his hands chained in front of him, or how long he hangs from the ceiling with his toes barely skimming the ground, or how long he lies shivering and alone on the cold, hard floor.

 

He’s also not sure what he should call the man who tortures him: Adrian Chase, Simon Morrison, or Prometheus? (“Psychopath” fits him pretty well, too, to be honest). 

 

But Oliver  _ does _ know two things.

 

He knows his team is looking for him...and he knows his team is going to find him.

 

He trusts them; he trusts all of them. 

 

But more than anything, he trusts  _ her _ .

 

_ Felicity. _

 

He doesn’t say her name out loud, because Prometheus can’t have her.

 

Oliver would rather die.

 

So instead he says her name in his head - over and over and over, like a mantra; like a prayer.

 

He calls to her over and over again in his mind…

 

...until one day Adrian shows him a picture of Susan Williams, and he realizes that he’ll never love her the way he loves Felicity.

 

Oliver Queen will never love  _ anyone _ the way he loves Felicity Smoak.

 

...And that thought gives him hope: a small, frail spark of hope that Oliver feeds and feeds the more he whispers her name in his head.

 

_ Felicity. _

 

The spark bursts into a small flame, and Oliver fans the flame as he holds tight to the thought of the woman he loves more than anything in the world.

 

_ Felicity _ .

 

He knows she will come for him.

 

He knows how determined she is; how smart she is. He knows that if anyone in the world has the strength and the ability to find him, it’s Felicity Smoak.

 

He _ knows _ she will find him.

 

And yet…

 

...there’s a small part of him that doesn’t want her to.

 

It’s clear that Prometheus has been planning and scheming this vendetta of his for years. Simon Morrison has done his research. He knows Oliver better than he has an right to. He knows Oliver’s biggest weaknesses and his biggest strengths. He knows who Oliver cares about most, and he knows things about those people that he shouldn’t.

 

Adrian brings up Oliver’s parents. He brings up Thea, Diggle, Tommy, and Laurel. He brings up Samantha and William. He brings up Sara and Roy and Quentin Lance; brings up Shado and Slade and the Yamashiros. He brings up Susan and every new member Team Arrow, even Evelyn.

 

But Prometheus never talks about Felicity; he never even says her name.

 

And it scares Oliver to death.

 

Adrian Chase is not stupid. Mentally unstable? Most definitely. But stupid? Not a chance. There’s a reason he never talks about Felicity, and whatever that reason might be, Oliver knows without question that it’s not good. Whatever Felicity is caught up in - whatever secret she’s keeping from him - Prometheus is involved somehow. Oliver doesn’t have enough pieces to put together the whole picture yet, but years of fighting for survival have taught him to trust his gut, and Oliver’s gut says that whatever Felicity has gotten herself involved with is dangerous.

 

Oliver suspects that whatever trap Adrian has lured Felicity into can explain how freakishly amazing she’s been lately as Overwatch. Obtaining the information to exonerate John, uncovering Justin Claybourne’s mistress, discovering that Adrian Chase’s real name was Simon Morrison. Everything’s connected. Everything can be traced back to when Felicity started acting strangely; when she started keeping secrets.

 

Of course, Felicity has always done fantastic work when it comes to her computers (it’s no coincidence he smashed everything in the lair that was his but touched nothing of hers). She’s always been able to do things that no one else can do. Oliver wasn’t exaggerating when he said her brain was her superpower. Felicity’s brilliant and cunning...and determined.

 

She’s going to find him; he knows she will….

 

...And that small part of him that doesn’t want her to find him grows smaller and smaller the longer Adrian Chase tortures him without ever telling him  _ why _ .

 

Chase tortures him in every way imaginable. He beats him, and cuts him, and tries to drown him. He starves him and dehydrates him and won’t let him sleep for more than a few minutes at a time. He even shoots him through the shoulder with one of Oliver’s own arrows (“fitting,” he calls it).

 

The physical torture is painful, to be sure, but Oliver’s been through worse -  _ much _ worse - and he suspects that inflicting physical pain is neither Chase’s forte nor his main goal.

 

But the psychological torture? The emotional and mental anguish that Chase inflicts on Oliver? The memories he dredges up, and the self-hatred and guilt he makes Oliver feel? It’s unlike any torture Oliver’s ever experienced...and this is where Prometheus excels.

 

He reminds Oliver of all the terrible things he’s done in the past: things he did as Ollie Queen, things he did during those five years in Hell, and things he did since his return home. He reminds him of all the lives he’s taken as both Oliver Queen and as Something Else; reminds him of all the lives he’s ruined. He shows him pictures of the spouses and parents and children left behind in the wake of his violence in Russia and his year spent killing in the name of justice, righting his father’s wrongs, and saving his city. Prometheus taunts him and insults him and demeans him. He spits on him and calls him a monster.

 

Adrian knows more than Oliver could have ever imagined. He knows just how to poke around in Oliver’s mind; just how to open old wounds and tug on old threads and unravel him piece by slow piece. It’s unnerving just how well Adrian Chase knows Oliver Queen, and just how much he seems to get off on making Oliver feel lower than dirt and less than human.

 

But no matter how hard Prometheus prods and punches and digs into him - no matter how he  hurls insults and demeans him - Oliver never lets go of hope. He never stops listening to that voice in his head - that voice that sounds like Laurel and Thea and John and-

 

_ Felicity _ .

 

Prometheus does everything he can to rob Oliver of that tiny flame he still harbors deep in his chest; the one that tells him his friends will find him - that  _ she _ will find him. Chase tries his hardest to douse that flame….

 

...But in the end, he doesn’t succeed.

 

In the end, Oliver clings to the hope that his friends care about him; that they won’t let him down.

 

His team, his friends, his family…

 

...his Felicity.

 

They are his strength...and they will find him.

 

Oliver knows it deep in his bones. 

 

He holds on tight to that knowledge….

 

...And a week later, they come for him.

 

* * *

 

Oliver’s lost track of how long he’s been chained to the ceiling, arms dangling high above him; so high the tips of his toes just barely brush the ground. He can’t remember the last time he’s eaten, or been given water, or been allowed to sleep for more than a few minutes.

 

Chase has been gone for a long time; longer than he’s ever been gone before.

 

Oliver counts his blessings, and he closes his eyes, praying that this time he’ll finally be able to sleep.

 

And then her voice wakes him.

 

“Oh my god.  _ Oliver. _ ”

 

“ _ Felicity.” _

 

He’s half asleep, eyes still closed, and he whispers her name like a prayer. It’s a prayer he knows well; one he’s said many times and in many ways. Shouted at her from across the lair in anger. Voiced with concern, muttered in shock, and sighed with pride.

 

Moaned in her ear as he trembles with desire and need.

 

Whispered against her lips as he holds her close in the early morning light and tells her that he loves her.

 

He doesn’t even have to think about saying it anymore. Saying her name is as natural to him as breathing...and maybe just as vital.

 

_ She’s come for him. _

 

“John, pick the locks. Hurry.”

 

“I’m on it.”

 

“Digg?” Oliver groans. He still doesn’t open his eyes. He’s tired, so tired, and he wants to keep sleeping. He doesn’t want to wake and find that this is all a dream.

 

Again.

 

“It’s me, Oliver,” Diggle responds. “Don’t worry, brother, I’ll have you out of these in a sec,” and Oliver hears the sound of metal scraping against metal as his friend works the locks on his shackles.

 

A warm, gentle hand cups Oliver’s face, and he gasps as her fingertips stroke his cheek. He leans into her touch, moaning softly.

 

“Fe-li-ci-ty.”

 

“I’m here, Oliver, I’m here,” she whispers, and she’s touching his other cheek now, too, cradling his face between her hands. “We’re going to take you home.”

 

Without warning, the chains securing him to the ceiling come loose. It’s been hours, maybe even days, since Oliver’s been able to stand, and when his feet hit the floor his legs give out underneath him.

 

But she catches him.

 

Of course she catches him.

 

He never doubted her, not for a second.

 

He never has.

 

“It’s okay, I’ve got you,” she assures him, and they sink to the ground together. His knees hit the cold, wet stone floor of his prison, and he’s tired, so tired. He collapses against her with a whimper, eyes still shut tight.

 

_ “I knew you’d find me,” _ he whispers against her shoulder, and his cheeks burn hot and wet with tears he’s too weak to fight.

 

She gasps softly, and she wraps her arms around him and hugs him, heedless of the blood and sweat and dirt coating his skin. She squeezes him tight, too tight, and when he groans in pain she pulls away with a quick apology…

 

...But not before he realizes that she’s trembling.

 

“Oliver...open your eyes. Please,” she begs shakily.

 

He does what she asks - because he always will - and she smiles with relief.

 

Then his eyes meet hers, and his heart seizes in his chest.

 

“I will  _ always _ find you,” she assures him, her voice strong and fierce this time.

 

But her eyes….

 

...her eyes give her away.

 

“Felicity...what have you done?”

 

She doesn’t fight him. She doesn’t argue with him, or ask him what he’s talking about, or try to deny it.

 

“I did what I had to do,” she tells him, and she grabs his hands and squeezes them tightly. “There was no choice to make.”

 

“No,” Oliver moans, shaking his head, and he looks down at their entwined hands.

 

He knows he should let go, but he can’t.

 

He won’t.

 

Never again.

 

“It’s going to be okay,” she tells him.

 

...And he doesn’t believe her.

 

He wants to - God help him, he wants to believe her so badly his very soul _ aches _ with it - but he doesn’t. 

 

He shuts his eyes again, trying to gather up what little strength he has left, but he’s tired, so tired, and he feels himself falling as the ground tilts under him.

 

His head lands against her chest, and he can feel her heart beating against his cheek. She wraps her arms around him once more, and he sighs, breathing deeply as the darkness starts to descend. He smells sweat and her shampoo and something else; something uniquely Felicity.

 

It reminds him of home.

 

His chest swells with warmth, and with pride...and with love.

 

She lets go of him, and he whines at the loss of her. He’s tired, so tired, and he can’t think straight anymore; can’t think beyond the fact that she’s done something she might not be able to come back from.

 

And he’s terrified.

 

He opens his eyes, wanting to see her again, but his vision has faded to black.

 

“Felicity,” he says once more, voice shaking from exhaustion and need and fear. A pair of thick, strong arms grips him around the waist, and as he feels himself being lifted off the ground, Oliver whispers, “please don’t leave me.”

 

Her hand caresses his cheek once more, and Oliver holds tight to feel of her touch as the darkness pulls him under. 

 

Just before he falls unconscious, he hears her voice calling to him from far away.

 

“I won’t, Oliver. I promise.”

 

* * *

 

She tries her best to keep that promise….

 

...But three weeks later, she breaks it.

 

“I’m sorry, Oliver. I’m so sorry. I never meant for it to go this far.”

 

“I know, I know,” he assures her, and he closes his eyes and rests his forehead against hers, running his hands up and down her arms soothingly.

 

“I don’t want to let you go,” she whispers against his lips.

 

Oliver smiles, and he opens his eyes to find that she’s crying softly. His hands shake slightly as he wipes away her tears with the tips of his fingers.

 

“I don’t want to let  _ you _ go,” he whispers back, and he brushes his lips against hers - a ghost of a touch -  before he smiles. “But let’s not say ‘goodbye’ this time.”

 

And he kisses her.

 

He pours all the love he feels for her into that kiss, and he clings hard to the fire of hope that still burns in his chest even after everything that’s happened.

 

She pulls away first, gasping for air, and her voice breaks as she whispers his name.

 

_ “Oliver.” _

 

He opens his eyes again, smiling at her warmly. “I’ll find you, Felicity Smoak,” he promises, nuzzling his nose against hers, and when he pulls back he finds her gazing up at him in wonder. “We’ll see each other again soon.”

 

Felicity shakes her head, and a quiet sob escapes her.   
  


“I love you,” she whispers, and she places her hand over his heart so she can feel it beating.

 

Oliver puts his hand on top of hers, entwining their fingers, and he squeezes tight.

 

“I love you, too. I will  _ always  _ love you.” He pulls her hand away from his chest, squeezing it once more...and then he steps away. “Now  _ go _ .”

 

And he lets her go….

 

...But not for long.

 

He finds her five days later.

 

He grabs her hand…

 

...and together…

 

...they run.

 

**_...the end…_ **

**Author's Note:**

> This is heavily based on my speculation that Prometheus gave Helix Felicity's name with the intent that Helix would corrupt her and thus destroy Oliver. The ending is based on fan speculation that the season will end with Oliver running, but that he'll be running with Felicity this time.
> 
> Comments are appreciated as always. :)


End file.
